SPEC Kit 333: Art & Artifact Management · 99 Library of Congress Common and Useful Information Elements for Cataloging Pictorial Materials http://www.loc.gov/rr/print/tp/Common%20Information%20Elements.pdf p. 3 of 3 “USEFUL” Description of Pictorial Materials • Use a word that identifies the broad type of material, such as “pictures” The general word for the type of visual material should appear in the description even when specific media or format terms are also used. Most users ask for pictures using general vocabulary. Stating the broad “object type” or “work type” early in a description helps distinguish visual materials from the many other ways that information is expressed, such as in text, music, maps, or sound recordings. • State the physical media/format and quantity Photographs, prints, drawings, etc., come in so many shapes and sizes that researchers rely on designations such as “2,000 photographs: slides” or “1 drawing: 50 x 30 cm” to gauge the nature of the information. Will the images be hard to view? Will there be clear visual detail? How many items need to be looked at? • Express the subject and specific work type, media, or genre Expand on broad work types (e.g., photographs) to provide direct information about subject content, genres, and specific media (e.g., trees, landscapes, cyanotypes). • Favor names of creators Mentioning the names of the lithographers, photographers, and other visual creators, even when they are only partially identified, helps researchers gauge the nature of the visual information, such as amateur, commercial, corporate, or personal viewpoints. • Undertake rights statements A rights statement in or linked to the descriptive record, even if the statement says “unknown,” can simplify a researcher’s choice of which materials to request or reproduce. Getting copies is often the goal for picture researchers. • Link to digital reproductions At least selectively, try to show users what the pictures look like. Viewing an image conveys lots of information beyond what reading a verbal description can accomplish.